Centerfield

Clark may prove that 'centrist' is not a dirty word

The Wesley Clark Weblog points out this fine opinion piece published in the Tallahassee Democrat with some advice for centrists

A savvy candidate will brandish, rather than hide, an aspect of his background that might render him vulnerable. Think Ronald Reagan's age ("I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience") or Jimmy Carter's roots and vocation (Southern peanut farmer, Washington outsider).

Looks like Clark has taken the advice

Rather than parsing his past Republican support or pretending that he's been a yellow-dog Democrat all along, Clark has touted his vote for Reagan and played centrism to his advantage, saying, "I was going to be either a very, very lonely Republican or I was going to be a very happy Democrat and you know what, I'm going to bring a lot of other new Democrats into the party."

It may work

To middle America, unnerved by political polarization, "centrist" is not a dirty word; it's a welcome return to sanity. Says Stephen Medvic, professor of government at Franklin & Marshall College, "The notion that someone isn't a diehard partisan, a lot of Americans will like that aspect of Clark's candidacy."

(crossposted at Independents For Clark)

Posted by rickheller at October 4, 2003 07:38 PM